WVU Battles FC Sevilla in Spain Opener

- Photo Gallery (Courtesy of Manu García)

SEVILLE, Spain - The West Virginia University men’s soccer team battled, but dropped a 1-0 decision to the FC Sevilla academy team on Tuesday at the Cidudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios.

The Red and White (Los Blanquirrojos), one of the top soccer academies in Spain, scored off a free kick from Juan Berrocal at the 85-minute mark for the game-winning goal.

West Virginia produced seven shots with three on goal during the match. All of the Mountaineers’ scoring attempts came in the second half. Jad Arslan broke away from midfield but his one-on-one opportunity was saved by the Sevilla keeper. Joey Piatczyc’s strike off a free kick narrowly went wide of the net. Later in the second half, the keeper denied freshman Thomas Shepherd’s breakaway, low-post opportunity.

“It was good for 85 minutes,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “Unfortunately, a silly foul set up a free kick and their one shot on goal they scored on. We had some good moments and good flashes. We had three or four really good opportunities to score and didn’t find the goal and got punished for it at the end of the match. After traveling over yesterday, to play 90 minutes as we did I am very pleased with a lot of the match.”

WVU goalkeeper Jose Santos recorded five saves, as FC Sevilla registered 10 shots. One of Santos’ biggest stops of the day was pushing the ball above the crossbar to prevent a Sevilla goal.

Shepherd and Logan Lucas recorded two shots each to pace the Mountaineers. Overall, WVU finished with seven shots and had four corner kick opportunities in the match.

Later in the day on Tuesday, the Mountaineers met with renowned physical coach Marcos Álvarez. Álvarez has worked for many famous clubs including Sevilla FC, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Real Betis and most recently San Lorenzo de Almagro in Argentina. Additionally, his teams won numerous championships including the Europa League, Carling Cup (England) and Copa del Ray (King’s Cup in Spain). Álvarez gave the team ideas on training tactics and how to better themselves in training leading up to a match.

West Virginia continues its tour of Spain on Wednesday with a recovery session at the beaches of Cádiz. The Mountaineers’ second match will take place on Saturday, May 13, against Real Betis Balompié at 10 a.m. CEST/4 a.m. ET.

Coverage of WVU’s tour of Spain will continue on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @WVUMensSoccer and by visiting WVUsports.com.

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WVU Battles FC Sevilla in Spain Opener

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